SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs have the midweek to get healthy before playing the Broncos on Saturday night (Oct. 14). Every point matters as the season starts to come to a close, but No. 20 Concordia could separate themselves with a win in Hastings. The Bulldogs gained four points this week with a scoreless tie against Morningside (Oct. 4) and a comeback victory (2-1) over Jamestown on Saturday (Oct. 7). With the tie against Morningside, Head coach Jason Weides’ program has furthered their home unbeaten streak to 19 (17-0-2) since 2021. CUNE is still undefeated after 13 games in 2023 with an 11-0-2 overall record and a 5-0-2 GPAC record.
This Week
Saturday, Oct. 14 at Hastings (5-6-3, 4-2-2 GPAC), 5:30 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Lloyd Wilson Field (Hastings, Neb.)
By the numbers
· Concordia came out sleepy in the first 15 to 20 minutes, as the Mustangs kicked nine shots in the first half with many dangerous chances coming after the opening kick at Bulldog Stadium. Escaping the sleepy start through four early saves by goalkeeper Nolan Fuleberth, the Bulldogs used possession to make calculated shots by Carter Hinman and Victor Meneses. Morningside came out with a fire, kicking the majority of their shots early after the break. As the last 25 minutes came in the match, so did the home offense. The ball stayed in the possession of Concordia and in their attacking third constantly in the match closing. The Bulldogs built quality chances but were unable to find the back of the net, leaving the match knotted at nil. The back line proved itself once again moving their shutouts to seven, tying (2016) the third most in program history. Fuelberth finished with seven saves, capturing the single game high for the sorely needed one point in the trek for the regular season conference title. Hinman would finish with a team high three shots in the match.
· Coming out sluggish has been a theme for this team at times throughout the season and in Jamestown was no different. It took less than four minutes for the Jimmies to find a score past goalkeeper Gabriel Mendoza and the back line, putting the Dawgs down early. Needing the second half comeback, Dre Williams was close to seven yards outside of the penalty area, before striking the ball from the far side of the field, all the way to the near corner for the early post-break equalizer. The Bulldogs came alive after the score, as the offense would pound eight shots through the second half, and the defense didn’t allow a single shot by Jamestown for the rest of the match. In the 83rd minute, Williams received the ball, turned inward, and smashed a low ball past the keeper for his first game winning goal of 2023. The visitors would hang on in the final minutes, escaping with a road win and adding three points to their standings total.
· The Dawgs need a win on Saturday to build the match versus Briar Cliff, the conference points leader (22). With the Chargers off this Saturday, Concordia (17 points) will have a big chance to earn three points and put themselves within striking distance for the match on Wednesday (Oct. 18). CUNE is currently tied with Northwestern in points (17) but has one more game left on their 2023 schedule.
Hastings
The Broncos enter the match this Saturday with a 5-6-3 overall record and a 4-2-2 GPAC record. Hastings hasn’t gone unbeaten in three matches with a tie (2-2) versus Midland, a win (2-0) against Mount Marty, and a comeback tie (4-4) at Doane. The program’s biggest win came against Jamestown in a (2-1) victory in North Dakota. The team fell to Morningside (3-1) at home on Sept. 30. Their home record is 2-3-1 and have scored 25 goals on 17 assists for the year. They average 12.4 shots per game and have a .416 SOG average. The Broncos have allowed 28 goals and split time virtually 50-50 between Pablo Arce-Salinas and Jack Howard. Arce-Salinas has allowed 12 goals with a goals allowed average of 1.80 on 23 saves. Howard has allowed 16 goals with a goals allowed average of 2.34 and grabbed 22 saves. Their leading scorer, Ayo Makinde, has eight goals and one assist. Lewis Bowes and Joe Vokins lead the team with four and three assists, respectively.
Next Week
The Bulldogs will travel to Briar Cliff for another big matchup on Wednesday (Oct. 18) against the Chargers, who currently sit at the top of the GPAC standings. After, they will come home for senior day versus Waldorf on Saturday (Oct. 21). The match is listed below and will be hosted at Faber Field and Bulldog Stadium.
Wednesday, Oct. 18
1 p.m. – vs. Briar Cliff
Saturday, Oct. 21
2 p.m. – vs. Waldorf